It pains me to see soccer practices where players sit down after sprinting exercises or aerobically demanding drills. The same way it pains me to see players sit on the bench after they come off the field during substitutions, half-time or at the end of the game. I have even witnessed entire teams sitting down on the field when a player gets injured and is being tended to.
The practice of coming to a complete rest after strenuous exercise is very dangerous to anyone's health. The heart is pumping at elevated speeds from the stress and then the body stops. Blood is still being pumped at high speed to muscles delivering oxygen, except the muscles aren't moving anymore. That is a precarious imbalance.
That is why the concept of active rest was developed. It calls for a tapering down of the heart rate after it has been elevated. Instead of elaborating on theory, I'd like to give some practical suggestions.
Practice
After elevated heart training such as sprints or high speed drills, have the players work with a ball at walking pace. They can walk it on their own or pass it back and forth with a team mate.
When the team takes a (water) break, don't let them sit down, keep them moving for at least a couple of minutes. If the break extends, then they can sit.
Game
Players on the field need to keep moving. If there is a break in the action, they can walk around (even to the coach for some advice) or do some stretching exercises.
Allow the team coming off the field at half time a few minutes to walk and stretch before you sit them down for the half time talk. Same idea about drinking - have them drink and walk.
After the game, we recommend a slight cool down jog followed by a complete set of stretching exercises before the post game meeting/talk.
It is equally important to loosen up and stretch before going into action. So players on the bench being substituted in need to move, warm-up and stretch before they get on the field.
Our Practice Books And Resources
No comments:
Post a Comment